This invention is designed to provide a replaceable notation plate for attachment to plastic housed self-winding and manual-winding measuring tapes.
It has been well-documented that the need exists for notation writing capacity on measuring tapes by mechanics in the construction field. Having been a general contractor in the home building business for the past 12 years, I have also seen the need and wonder why some or all of the devices found in the prior art are not in common use.
All of the devices found in the prior art are useful as presented, but there seem to be drawbacks when they are applied to the everyday work world where the devices would be used. Frequently, a mechanic uses a tool pouch to hold the tools and fasteners necessary to complete his/her job. The pouches being closed-bottomed containers, hold in addition to the sharp pointed tools and fasteners, dust, dirt, and grit with which the mechanic frequently comes in contact. If the measuring tapes would be stored in these pockets (which happens frequently) the dirty, gritty, sharp contents would quickly shorten the useful life of most of the prior art found. The patents issued utilizing transparent sheets with underlying recording plates, plastic discs for recording data, and plates on the measuring device slidable one on another, may quickly become tom, punctured, or fouled by the contents inherent in the environments where they frequently are used and stored between uses.
In all of the references cited (except U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,113) memoranda devices are integral with the measuring tape case. This means that when the notation capacity fails, one must purchase a new tape measure to again gain notation capacity. The replacement capacity of my patent application enables the tape measure itself to serve it's useful life separately from the notation plate. This capacity for replacement has not been addressed by the other patents cited.
Further, the cost of production of my notation plate is less than any of the prior art cited. This makes the notation plate in my application less expensive for the consumer to purchase, thus making it more obtainable for use by the general public.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,113 lists a writing tablet with an effacing medium storage pocket. In my opinion, the storage pocket would have the possibility of filling with the dirt and grit mentioned if stored between uses in the tool pouch, making it difficult to use. In addition, corian is listed as this patent's writing surface material. Corian would have a long service life if used as described, but it is fairly brittle with respect to sudden impact blows. If it were dropped from a common working height of 3' to 8' onto a hard surface it may crack and shatter. The pocket formed between the writing tablet and the outer fiat surface of the measuring tape case further magnifies this possibility. Sandpaper is listed as the means of choice for cleaning the surface for additional notations. It should be pointed out that if the sandpaper were misplaced, it couldn't be used to efface the notation.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,914,269 most closely resembles my patent application, but it does differ significantly. One difference is the basic cross-section shape of my notation plate: mine has a concave side and a convex side. The plastic disc listed is "substantially fiat." As will be pointed out in the summary, the concave-convex cross-section of my notation plate serves two (2) attachment functions and one (1) safety function. Additionally, the plastic disc in U.S. Pat. No. 2,914,269 is mounted permanently on the tape case with the flange of the rear bearing member retaining the pigmented plastic disc in position. This attachment method would seem to make it unreplaceable.